Namibia’s Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Bernard Esau, says he will not hesitate to cancel the fishing rights of joint venture companies (JVCs) if the infighting among them does not come to an end.
Each year joint venture companies comprising mainly of previously disadvantaged Namibians are allocated fishing quotas of commercial marine species such as hake, horse-mackerel, monk, sardines, seals, rock lobster and crab. Namibia is also a popular destination for recreational fishing mostly for cob and steenbras (a sea bream variety) and to a lesser extent for galjoen or black bream.
Speaking during an interactive session between representatives of the Midwater Trawlers Association and the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Esau noted that some fishing companies are withholding fishing quotas, changing shareholding structures and not sharing information on their daily operations. He also lamented the fact it has become the norm for joint ventures to withhold quotas from each other or to fight over quotas and even to change shareholding structures without informing each other.
“Information of day-to-day operations within joint ventures is also not shared with each other. Some shareholders are trying to marginalise the ones that are already marginalised. I will not entertain such behaviour and will cancel your rights. We can not tolerate people who are selfish,” thundered Esau.
“The culture of not sharing information with partners is not welcome, as this creates tension and brings about mistrust. This, therefore, concerns government,” Esau said.
He further said joint ventures would be screened to see if they live up to the expectations of the government and to ascertain whether they would qualify for the reserve quota allocation of 80 000 tonnes for horse-mackerel. “The purpose of setting total allowable catches (TACs) and the allocation of quotas is for the economic development of Namibia and it is allocated to the right holders to contribute to our economy and not to fight among each other,” he said.
“As a minister I will not tolerate such behaviour. I will cancel your rights with immediate effect. Greed will certainly not be entertained by my ministry,” he told those who attended the interactive session.
Esau also lashed out against those splashing money left and right. “We want to see that joint ventures create jobs, assist the government in terms of social responsibility and add value to the country’s products. Development and empowerment do not mean that individuals have to go around and flash their expensive Rolexes and flashy cars at the expense of other Namibians,” he said.
Esau said fisheries officials are currently monitoring, assessing and reviewing the performance of right holders and that the review is carried out to determine who deserves the reserve quota allocation. He urged new right holders to create a conducive environment for each other in order for the entire fisheries sector to prosper. “We have also recognised that the horse-mackerel is one of the sub-sectors that is up to date with paying quota fees, but what I want to see is job creation within the sector itself,” he stressed. Last year the minister created 10 new right holders in the horse-mackerel sector to which 100 000 tonnes of horse-mackerel was allocated.
The 2013 financial year’s results could be affected by the 30 000 tonnes decrease in the allocation for horse-mackerel compounded by a weaker Namibia dollar.
Namibia’s 1 500km desert coastline is known for its productive ocean waters, the northern Benguela shelf, that forms part of the Benguela system, which is one of the world’s four major eastern boundary upwelling systems. The northern Benguela has a strong upwelling cell off Lüderitz and a weaker one at Cape Frio. The combination of the persistent equator-ward winds, low water temperatures and high plankton blooms are features of this productive system. Before independence in 1990, foreign fleets used to harvest Namibia’s rich fish resources with impunity. Thereafter, the government introduced policies that were geared towards localising the fishing fleet and encouraging on-shore processing.
2013 New Era